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History
The History department provides a framework for students to develop skills, knowledge and understanding of Bermudian and World History, increasing their awareness of local and global issues. We seek to enable students to:
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Acquire knowledge and understanding of the human past
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Investigate historical events, people, changes and issues
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Develop understanding of how the past has been represented and interpreted
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Use historical sources critically in their historical context
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Draw conclusions and appreciate that these and other historical conclusions are liable to reassessment in the light of new or reinterpreted evidence
The department recognises that variety is a key to good learning so a wide range of historical topics are covered at all levels. Emphasis is also placed on links between the topics to show continuity, progression and similarity between time periods, people and places. Students work individually, in pairs and in groups as appropriate and they complete a wide variety of activities to enhance their learning ranging from oral presentations to online debates to power points to project work to research tasks to online activities etc. Formal essay and short answer questions are balanced by oral and visual presentations as well as individual research projects in all year group courses. Historical skills such as essay writing, note taking, critical thinking and debating are also developed in history lessons. From Year 7 students are introduced to GCSE level source work skills such as inference, cross-referencing, evaluation and critical use of sources to support a sustained argument.
Key Stage 3 (Saltus 7 - 9)
In Years 7-9 the department largely follows the UK’s National Curriculum guidelines in terms of the skills, concepts and many of the topics that are covered. This prepares them well for GCSE and AP levels. Students learn the following key historical skills and concepts: Chronological understanding: recognition and appropriate use of dates, vocabulary and conventions that describe historical periods and the passing of time; Knowledge and understanding of events, people and changes in the past; Historical interpretation; Historical enquiry; Organisation and communication.
The topics studied in Years 7-9 are as follows:
Saltus 7:
World War 2, Early History of Bermuda, The Origins of Man
Saltus 8:
Ancient Egypt, The Age of Discovery [Black History Month, February: Black explorers], The Renaissance/Reformation
Saltus 9:
The Industrial Revolution, Slavery & Black Peoples of the Americas, The French Revolution
Key Stage 4 (Saltus 10 and 11)
The History Department follows the Edexcel Syllabus A GCSE in History (1334) which offers a programme of study focusing on Modern European and World History and builds on the historical skills introduced in Years 7-9. Students study history in two different but complimentary ways - in outline and in depth. There are 2 exam papers accordingly which students sit at the end of Year 11. The exam specification also provides our students with the opportunity to study history across a range of perspectives such as political, social, cultural and economic. Topics studied include: The Rise and Fall of the Communist State: The Soviet Union, 1928 -1991 (Year 10); A Divided Union? The USA, 1941-80; The Russian Revolution, 1910-1924 ; Nazi Germany, 1930-1939; Role of Bermuda in World War 2 (Year 10); The 1959 Bermuda Theatre Boycott
The Graduate Years
Pre-AP US History Foundation Course:
UNITED STATES HISTORY – Colonial Times to Reconstruction Course
Includes :The Settlement and Colonial Period, 1492-1754;The Revolutionary Period, 1754-1783;The Constitution and New Republic, 1776-1800;The Age of Jefferson, 1800-1816;Nationalism and Sectionalism, 1812-1840;The Age of Jackson, 1828-1848;Expansionism and the Sectional Crisis, 1840-1860;The Civil War era, 1860-1865;Reconstruction, 1865-70
AP US HISTORY : Course Objectives
Students will:
- master a broad body of historical knowledge and demonstrate an understanding of historical chronology
- use historical data to support an argument or position
- differentiate between historiographical schools of thought
- interpret and apply data from original documents, including cartoons, graphs, letters, etc.
- effectively use analytical skills of evaluation, cause and effect, compare and contrast
- work effectively with others to produce products and solve problems
- prepare for and successfully pass the AP U.S. History Exam
Course Content:
The New South and the Last Frontier, 1870-1890;The Gilded Age (Industrialization, Urbanization, Cultural & Intellectual developments and Politics), 1877-1900;Foreign Policy, 1865-1914; Progressive Era, 1900-1920; The First World War, 1914-1918; The Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression; The New Deal; Diplomacy in the 1930s; The Second World War, 1941-1945; Truman & the Cold War, 1945-1953; Eisenhower & Modern Republicanism, 1953-1961; Kennedy & Johnson, 1961-1969; Nixon, 1969-1973 to present day
Modern World Studies
This is a non-AP course. A keen interest in current world events and a willingness to keep up-to-date with the news is essential. As well as discussing current affairs, specific topics studied include: Background to the Middle East; Arab/Israeli Conflict; Iraq. Students also produce coursework based on their own research of a topic (other than those previously studied) from current world events. Students’ final grades are comprised of an end of year written examination.(75%) and their coursework (25%).
Examination Years
Further Information
If you would like to read any further information regarding the GCSE or AP curricula outlined within this site please visit either of the following examination board web sites: -
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